Cleaning device for bowling lanes



Sept. 12, 1967 v A P, KLOSE 3,340,559

CLEANING DEVICE FOR BOWLING LANES Filed Nov. 6, 1964 HLFRED P. KLOS; WMQL/Tm United States Patent O 3,340,559 CLEANING DEVICE FOR BOWLING LANES Alfred P. Klose, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Manufacturers Specialty Company, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 409,480 6 Claims. (Cl. 15--210) This invention relates to a device for cleaning bowling lanes and particularly to a cleaning device that is of heavy construction with resilient pad means for applying cleaning pressure to all surfaces of the lane, together with casters on opposite ends of the device which are positioned to overlie the gutters alongside the lanes during the cleaning operation, but which are useful to transport the device between cleaning operations.

In general, the invention comprises an elongated aluminimum casting. A resilient foam pad is disposed against the lower surface of the casting, and the lower surface of the casting is made arcuate to provide a curved surface Vfor `attaching the pad. A lambs wool sheet covers the pad and acts as a flexible retainer to hold the pad against the casting and in shape when the device is rested upon a cleaning cloth for a cleaning operation. The cleaning device weighs between forty 4and ifty pounds and therefore applies considerable polishing pressure to the lane. Simultaneously, the resilience of the foam pad permits the lambs wool cover to yield with uneven lane surfaces, making the application of pressure uniform over the entire surface of each lane.

At each end of the device is a vertically adjustable side support member on which a caster wheel is pivotally mounted. The caster wheels are of a non-marring material, preferably nylon. The width of the cleaning portion of the device between the caster wheels is equal to or slightly greater than the width of -a bowling lane so that during a cleaning operation, the caster wheels overlie the gutters alongside the lane. The caster wheels project below the cleaning portion of the device, but do not Contact the surface of the gutters during the cleaning operation. Therefore, during the cleaning operation, the full weight of the device applies pressure to the surface of a lane, and between cleaning operations, the device can be wheeled on the casters to make transportation of the device easier.

There are rearwardly projecting drags on opposite sides of the casting. The drags are covered with lambs wool gloves which drag against the outer edges of a lane during a cleaning operation to prevent cleaning or polishing liquids from owing into the gutters.

The general object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive but highly efective cleaning device for bowling lanes. Another object is to provide a cleaning device made with a heavy cast metal body so that it can apply considerable pressure upon a towel pushed between the cleaning device and the bowling lane, and to provide a pair of wheels mounted on opposite sides of the device -and spaced to overlie the gutters on opposite sides of the bowling lane with the wheels projecting below the body of the device, but not in contact with the surface of the gutters. A specific object is to provide a cleaning device having wheels which do not interfere with the application of pressure by the device during the cleaning operation but which make transportation of the device easier between cleaning operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning device for bowling lanes which has wheels on its sides projecting -below the cleaning portion of the device, and which positions the wheels so that they will overlie the gutters alongside the lane which is being cleaned. Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the wheels vertically relative to the cleaning portion of the device. Still another object is to provide padded side ice drags which maintain contact with the side edges of the lane to keep cleaning and polishing fluids from spilling into the gutters.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view on a reduced scale of the rear side of the lane cleaner;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top elevation view of the lane cleaner with the handle removed and with portions shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation view of the lane cleaner with portions shown in section;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side elevation view of the lane cleaner as viewed from the right side of FIGURE 1 and with portions shown in section; a portion of a bowling lane is shown in section;

FIGURE 5 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a view in secion on an enlarged scale taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of the lane clean-A er similar to that of FIGURE 4, but with the side support member and wheel removed;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged isometric view of a side support member; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary rear elevation view of the lane cleaner of FIGURE 1, showing the side support bracket adjusted upwardly, the adjacent glove bracket being removed.

Referring now to the drawing, this lane cleaner 10 comprises a pair of side support members 12 having an aluminum casting 13 supported between them. Each side support member 12 is made of cast or -bent metal and, as illustrated in FIGURE 8, has a vertical plate extension 14 and a horizontal plate extension 15. There is an elongated vertical slot 16 in the Vertical plate extension 14, and lthere are a plurality of holes 17 through the horizontal plate extension 15.

The casting 13 has sides 20, a back wall 21, and a front wall 22. There are indentations 23 and 24 leading to rearwardly and forwardly extending shoulders 25 and 26, respectively, below the walls 21 and 22. The lower surface 27 lof the casting 13 between the shoulders 25 and 26 is curved as clearly shown in FIGURES 5, 6, and 7.

The casting 13 may be formed with an elongated recess 28 in its upper side, .but in that event, there is a thickened wall portion 29 in the central area of the front wall 22. A metal plate 30 is fastened by screws 31 to the top of the casting 13, thereby covering the recess 28.

There are two threaded holes 33 and 34 through each side 20 of the casting 13. A pair of bolts 35 and 36 extend through the slot 16 in the vertical plate extension 14 and are threaded into the holes 33 and 34.

A caster hub 38 is fastened to each horizontal plate extension 17 by a plurality of bolts 39. A caster frame 40 is pivotal on a vertical axis supported by the hub 38 and rotates adjacent the hub upon a conventional ball bearing assembly 41. A caster wheel 42 is rotatably supported :by the frame 40. The caster wheels 42 are made of a material which will not mark or mar a oor surface. Nylon is a suitable material.

A resilient polystyrene foam sheet or pad 45 is disposed against the curved bottom surface 27 of the casting 13. The pad 45 has a relatively thick central portion 46 tapering to relatively thin portions 47 at its front and rear edges.` A thick lambs wool retainer or cover 48 extends across the lower surface of the foam pad 45 and over the shoulders 25 and 26. The cover 48 is held in place by a plurality of screws 49 that extend through 3 a pair of retainer strips '50 and are threaded into the casting 13.

A pull handle 51 is supported by a metal frame 52. The metal frame 52 is fastened to the casting 13 by a pair of screws 53 that engage in threaded socketsuSSa' provided inthe thickened wall portion 29 yof the casting.

On the rear wall 21' of the casting .13, thereare a pair of metal brackets 54, each mounted by a pair of screws 55. Each bracket 54 is curved to pass the shoulder'25, as shown in FIGURES l and 4, and extends downwardly to about the lower extreme of the'foam pad 45. A rod 56 extends rearwardly from the lower end of each bracket 54, and a lambs wool glove yS7is tied to each rold 56. The lower surfaces 58 ofthe lambs wool gloves 57 are about even with the lower surface ofthe lambs wool pad 48. 5

The casting .13, the pad 45, and the flexible retainer 48 are about 45 inchesv wide as measured between the sides 20. This is wider than the lane portion of a standard bowling lane along which` a bowling ball is rolled, and the width positions the wheels 42 directly over the gut-V ters` alongside the lane. The spacing between the brackets 53 and 54 is such that thelambs wool gloves 57 are .positioned on the sides of a lane next to the side edges joining the lane to the gutters.

The wheels 42 are adjustable relative to the casting 13 upon loosening the bolts 35 and 36 and sliding the side support members 12 within the limits of the vertical slot 16 (illustrated in FIGURE 9). These wheels 42 should be adjusted in position so that when the surface of the exible retainer 48 is resting on thelane, the wheels 42 project into the gutters alongside the lane, but do not Contact the gutters. Then, all the weight of the device applies pressure against the lane. The device weighs approximately forty to fifty pounds, most of the l weight being provided by the aluminum casting 13.

In use, the cleaning -device canY be moved from lane to lane by rolling it on the casters 42 as it is pulled by the handle 50. The casters 42, being made of nylon, or other nonmarring material, do not mark, mar or otherwise damage the surfaces around the bowling lanes, such as the bowling approaches. As soon as the device is pulled to the beginning of a bowling lane, the caster wheels 42 drop into the gutters on opposite sides of the bowling lane and the lower surface of the flexible re. tainer 48 drops against a cleaning or polishing cloth on the lane surface. Appropriate cleaning cloths are placed between the flexible retainer 48 and the lane during a cleaning operation. A cloth is selected for a. specific job, whether it be simple dusting, waxing, mopping, or the like, the selected cloth being saturated with the appropriate dry or liquid cleaning substance.

As the device is pulled down the lane, the caster wheels 42 remain over but out of contact with' the side gutters. The full forty to fifty pound weight of the device bears against the lane toproducea thorough cleaning action. The resilience of the foam pad 45 lets the pressure be applied evenly to all portions of the lane even though the surface of the lane be slightly uneven. Cleaning and polishing liquids and compounds are thus spread evenly over the entire lane surface. As the device is pulled down a lane, the trailing lambs wool gloves 57 maintain contact with the lane and prevent cleaning orV polishing uids from flowing over into the side gutters.

Thus the device provides a heavy cleaner which is effective in cleaning or polishing bowling lanes, and which has casters which are inoperative during the cleaning operation but which immediately `become operative when the device is to be transported between lanes or to storage.

Various changes and modifications may be madeV within the purview of this invention as will be readily ap-` parent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as dened by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning -device for bowling lanes comprising an elongatedheavy vbody having a width at least as great .as

- the width of a standard bowling lane, the lbodyjhaving Y curvature about an axis. parallel to the front and backfront, back .and side walls, anda lower surface of convex walls, a resilient foam pad positioned against the lower surface, a flexible retainer positioned against the lower surface of the pad, a pair of horizontalshoulde'r's betweenY the front and backwalls and the lower surface, the exi-ble. retainer having front and back? margins overlying the shoulders, means for fastening the margins of the retainer to the shoulders, a pair of side support members, means f toV fasten the side support members to the sides of the front, back and side walls, .and a lower surface of convex curvature about an axis parallel to the front and back walls, a resilient foam pad positioned against the lower surface, a exible retainer positioned .against the lower surface of the pad, a pair of horizontal shoulders between the front and back walls and the lower surface, the ilexible retainer having front and back margins overlying the shoulders, a plurality of fbolts for fastening the margins of the retainer to the shoulders, a pair of side support members, means to fasten the side support members to the sides of the body, a wheel rotatably fastened to each side support mem-ber and projecting `below the lower surface of the flexible retainer, the wheels being spaced apart by substantially the same distance as the space'between the centers of -gutters onopposite sides of a standard bowling lane.

3. The cleaning device of claim 2 wherein the body is of cast metal weighing approximately 40 lbs.

` 4. The cleaning device ofy claim 2*.wherein the pad'is polystyrene foam having a relatively thick central portion tapering to relatively thin portions adjacent the front and rear shoulders.

5. The cleaning device of claim 2 wherein the exible retainer is lambs wool.y 6. The cleaning device of claim 2 includinga pair of Vbrackets attached to the back wall ofthe body for supporting lambs wool gloves, the -brackets being located 'to position the gloves in contact with a lane on opposite sides thereof adjacent the gutters to prevent lane maintenance uids from owing into the gutters.

References Cited j UNITED STATES PATENTS `815,?:43 v3/ 1906 Garnet 15-209 3,047,899 8/1962 Riedi v15--210 3,150,396 9/ 1964 Unterbrink 15-98 3,150,407v 9/ 1964 Mitchell, 15--98 X CHARLES A. VVILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CLEANING DEVICE FOR BOWLING LANES COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HEAVY BODY HAVING A WIDTH AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE WIDTH OF A STANDARD BOWLING LANE, THE BODY HAVING FRONT, BACK AND SIDE WALLS, AND A LOWER SURFACE OF CONVEX CURVATURE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS, A RESILIENT FOAM PAD POSITIONED AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE, A FLEXIBLE RETAINER POSITIONED AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE PAD, A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL SHOULDERS BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK WALLS AND THE LOWER SURFACE, THE FLEXIBLE RETAINER HAVING FRONT AND BACK MARGINS OVERLYING THE SHOULDERS, MEANS FOR FASTENING THE MARGINS OF THE RETAINER TO THE SHOULDERS, A PAIR OF SIDE SUPPORT MEMBERS, MEANS TO FASTEN THE SIDE SUPPORT MEMBERS TO THE SIDES OF THE BODY, A WHEEL ROTATABLY FASTENED TO EACH SIDE SUPPORT MEMBER AND PROJECTING BELOW THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE FLEXIBLE RETAINER, THE WHEELS BEING SPACED APART BY SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE CENTERS OF GUTTERS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A STANDARD BOWLING LANE. 